


The Park Bench

by Namarea



Category: Online meetings, Original Work, Short Story - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 14:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1391614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namarea/pseuds/Namarea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And they say online meetings are for losers...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This one is close to my heart, for reasons known only to me ;-).

"Have you lost your mind?  What did you just agree too?  You've completely taken leave of your senses and that's all there is to it." Louisa could hear the berating of her mind immediately as she hung up the phone. "He wants to meet me," she cried aloud with a mixture of both delight and horror. "He really wants to meet me."

Flame, as Louisa Moreland was known in her online computer circle, had been chatting with for weeks now, and getting to know, Michael Perryman, a.k.a. Shining Knight. They had formed an attachment that went beyond the electronic norm of the cyber-world. They had long-since cast off all pretense of characterization and anonymity, replacing it with something akin to a friendship born of shared interests, genuine respect and hours of conversation.

Still, Louisa was hesitant. She had heard countless stories of women drawn into the chat rooms and playgrounds of geeks and weirdo's that ended up finally meeting their supposed 'dream date' only to find their dream a nightmare. She was realistic and prided herself on her pragmatic nature, however, at times like these, those qualities paled in the light of following the lead of her heart.  But she was determined not to end up a mere statistic.

From the beginning, there was something that garnered Louisa's trust in Michael and so fueled the fire of desire that she had to finally meet him in person. She knew this was the logical next step if there was to be any true relationship between them, however, as she glanced into the mirror after her hurried, early-morning shower and shampoo, the pangs of self-doubt got the better of her.

"What if he takes one look at me and regrets his decision to meet me?" Louisa wondered. "What if he sees me, turns and walks away."  A veritable symphony of fear and doubt that would rival the greatest composer assaulted her from all sides. She tried in vain to remain cool and concentrate on breathing through the matter at hand.  "What on earth am I going to wear?"

Louisa's mind raced as she prepared for the two-hour road trip that would bring them together at last. They had chosen to meet in a city exactly half of the 380 miles between them, in a public park, at 10:00 a.m. "I'd better get a move on if I'm not to be late," Louisa mused, knowing perfectly well that she was always late to everything.  Giggling, Louisa hit herself with the realization that, "I'll probably even be late to my own funeral."

The drive was relatively uneventful with great music on the radio and Louisa could tell this was going to be a beautiful summer day.  There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun rising in the east rivaled the fiery red of her long, curly hair.  After finding a place to park and sitting for a few moments to work up her courage and gather her thoughts, Louisa gazed into the rear-view mirror, checking the little makeup she had taken the time to apply earlier that morning.  The mascara on the lashes framing her doe-brown eyes was not smudged and only her lightly applied lipstick needed freshening.

Louisa gave her curls a fluff, her clothes the visual once-over, donned her dark sunglasses, more as a defense mechanism than to shield her eyes from the sun, and hopped from the car to set off across the street to her destination...the park and Michael.  "Oh dear," she mumbled worriedly, "I'm late again.  I wonder if he's even still here." 

Her eyes drank in the scene before her.  There were countless children playing in the fountain to her left, squealing in glee as the water blasted up from several jets below the surface.  There were police officers strolling about answering questions, helping any in distress, smiling and giving everyone an air of reassurance.  Nannies and young mothers were pushing babies in carriages along the park's walkways.  Old men were feeding the birds or playing chess at various tables.  There was even a young couple completely engrossed in each other on a park bench nearby.

It was this couple that Louisa took exceptional note of.  The young woman was sitting beside her beloved, his arms draped languidly around her, her hands demurely in her lap.  She was smiling and laughing at some secret he had just whispered in her ear.  The young man, it was obvious, had eyes only for her.  It seemed as though for them no one else existed in the park, or in their world.

Louisa wondered absently if perhaps that couple would be her and Michael...someday.  How she longed to find that kind of bliss with someone. "But, I have to find him first," she sighed, glancing at her watch again.  Then, looking up from her watch, not twenty feet away, was a man she just knew had to be Michael. 

He was exactly as he had described himself.  Taller than her own five feet six inches and of a lean medium build he was dressed in jeans and a baseball jersey that lent itself to revealing the sinewy musculature beneath.  His dark hair curled up in the back of his baseball cap, boyishly and Louisa smiled despite herself as she watched him wring his hands, check his watch and glance around like rabbit watching for a hawk.  "Why, he's as nervous as I am," she gasped incredulously and began to take a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Deciding not to approach the young man directly, Louisa circled around behind him, keeping out of his line of sight as best she could.  She had watched him, gathering her courage, for about ten minutes and decided it was 'now or never'.  However, just as she was forcing her feet to obey the command of her brain to walk, the young man, seemingly sensing her presence, rose to his feet and turned to face her.

Louisa stopped in mid-stride, gasping and lifting her hand to her throat.  "Blessed be, but he is handsome!" Louisa thought, silently uttering the oath.  She looked at his feet, the pavement, the sky, anywhere to avoid seeing any rejection, which might show in his eyes.

"Louisa?"  The voice that called to her was deep, masculine and yet decidedly gentle, sufficiently taking her off guard enough that she lowered her sunglasses looking up fully into his face.  What met her was not the rejection she had so dreaded, but the kindest of expressions, the most sensitive eyes and the brightest, most endearing smile she'd ever seen.

Her voice betraying her at the moment, Louisa could do naught but simply nod that she was indeed the person he was expecting.  Her mind once again capable of coherent thought reaffirmed the order of 'walk' to her feet and she met him half way across the expanse of space between them.

"Yes," she breathed softly, her eyes glancing away again as a perfect little blush heated the cheeks of her heart-shaped face.  "Yes, Michael, I'm Louisa," she managed as she was folded into the strong embrace of the man she knew at that moment was for whom she had been expressly created.

"Mine," she thought she heard him breathe into her hair.


	2. The End

Though it has been many years since that perfect July day, in the park of that old southern city, Louisa and Michael have revisited it often. 

It was the sight where Michael knelt to one knee offering Louisa his ring, and proposing to spend the rest of his life with her.  It was where Louisa told Michael that he was to become a father at last.  It was the same fountain, in the same park where their children and grandchildren played, hour after hour, under the watchful eye of the couple on the park bench, who had, after all, become Louisa and Michael. 

It was the setting for every major event the two had experienced together.  And now, it was where Louisa came daily to relive those moments, close to the man she had lived in love with together for over 40 years until exactly one year ago. 

They had shared every aspect of life...happiness, sorrow, laughter, tears, birth and presently, they would share the world to come. 

"Soon, my love," Louisa whispered to the breeze rustling through the tree branches overhead, tousling the gray curls that were once so red.  "Soon."  Her voice, raspy and full of emotion was the only betrayal of the grief that had plagued her since Michael's death. 

She closed her eyes, feeling the chill growing in the autumn air, resting her head upon the back of the park bench.  "Michael."  He was the last thought of her mind, the plea of her soul with the final breath of her body.

"Louisa?" came the voice of a handsome young man smiling down at her from bright, white light.  And as she nodded he enfolded her in his arms breathing "Mine," into fiery red curls once more.


End file.
